AFRICA: In South Africa protesters burned tires and blocked roads near Johannesburg after the government tore down houses that had been built on illegally sold plots of land.

AMERICAS: Seven US Navy SEALs have been reprimanded for disclosing secret information to the makers of the “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” video game.

ASIA: Japan lodged a complaint with South Korea for giving names to the peaks on two of the South Korean-controlled islands that are claimed by Japan.

EUROPE: Turkish air strikes killed thirteen Kurdish rebels in the southeastern part of the country.

MIDDLE EAST: Iranian Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, the armed forces deputy chief, implicitly confirmed the Pentagon’s claim that two Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US Predator drone saying that “Iran will decisively respond to any aerial, ground or marine aggression.”

TECHNOLOGY: The US Securities and Exchange Commission failed to encrypt some of their computers which contained highly sensitive information from stock exchanges, leaving data vulnerable to cyber attacks.

TOP STORY

Ongoing Syrian Crisis

UN director of operations for the humanitarian office John Ging warned that if the Syrian conflict continues at such a deadly pace, then the number of people needing humanitarian aid in the country could rise from 2.5 million to 4 million.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay expressed concern after the Red Cross reported that it was struggling to deliver aid in Syria.

Mustafa Sheikh says that the Syrian Free Army is undergoing a drastic reorganization and relocating its leadership to rebel-held territory in an effort to win international support.

President Assad said in an interview on Russian Television that his regime has not committed any war crimes in its conflict with rebels and that only a “ballot box” can decide his future.

In the same interview he also accused Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of behaving like an Ottoman Sultan who thinks that “he can control the region.”

Turkey’s Anadolu Agency said that 71 Syrian soldiers, including two generals and 11 colonels, and 8,000 Syrian refugees fled into Turkey overnight.

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon warned President Assad to prevent the conflict from spilling over into Israeli territory after a mortar bomb landed in the Golan Heights yesterday.

Libya: The UN envoy to Lybia, Tarek Mitri, urged the country’s new leaders to act quickly to address the country’s security issues and impose control over rival militias.

Mali: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that Mali is facing a severe food security threat and access to education. (XIN)

South Africa: Protesters burned tires and blocked roads near Johannesburg after the government tore down houses that had been built on illegally sold plots of land. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Argentina: Roughly 30,000 protesters jammed the streets around the presidential palace in the largest anti-government protest demonstration in years, managing to keep the demonstration protesting high inflation, violent crime and high-profile corruption a peaceful one. (AP)

Haiti: The World Bank has offered Haiti 425 million USD in Development aid for reconstruction and development aimed at improving living conditions and reducing the population’s vulnerability to natural disasters. (XIN)

United States: Seven US Navy SEALs have been reprimanded for disclosing secret information to the makers of the “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” video game. (AFP)

ASIA

Region: An unidentified ASEAN diplomat said that China is delaying talks to create a legally binding regional code of conduct that would reduce territorial and maritime conflicts in the South China Sea. (Kyodo)

Region: Japan lodged a complaint with South Korea for giving names to the peaks on two of the South Korean-controlled islands that are claimed by Japan. (Kyodo)

China: China has increased security in Tibetan areas after a spate of self-immolation protests. (AFP)

New Zealand: Climate Change Minister Tim Groser said that New Zealand would not be signing a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions and would be opting for a non-binding pledge. (XIN)

Pakistan: A blast near a mosque in the southwestern district of Dera Bugti killed 15 people. (XIN)

Russia: President Putin replaced Russia’s Army chief of staff Nikolai Makarov with General Valery Gerasimov. (AFP)

Turkey: Air strikes killed thirteen Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Egypt: Hundreds of Islamists gathered in Tahrir Square for a pro-Sharia rally demanding a new constitution that adheres to strict Sharia law be adopted. (AP)

Iran: Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri implicitely confirmed the Pentagon’s claim that two Iranian fighter jets fired on an unarmed US Predator drone saying that “Iran will decisively respond to any aerial, ground or marine aggression.” (AFP)

Israel: Defense Minister Ehud Barak blamed Hamas for the detonation of an explosives tunnel along the Gaza border which wounded a soldier and that he is contemplating an appropriate response. (AFP)

Israel: Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that Iran has diverted some of its enriched uranium from military to civilian use which has slowed down its push for nuclear arms by roughly eight months. (AP)

Kuwait: Two members of the Al-Sabah ruling family were arrested for tweets deemed critical of the government and supportive of the opposition. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications: The US Securities and Exchange Commission failed to encrypt some of their computers which contained highly sensitive information from stock exchanges, leaving data vulnerable to cyber attacks. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cyclones: Nothing to report.

Hurricanes: Nothing to report.

Earthquakes: Nothing to report.

Volcanoes: Nothing to report.

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK

Iran: The military will start conducting air defense exercises in the eastern part of the country.